Bottle-capping machine

ABSTRACT

A BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHINE HAVING A HORIZONTAL CONVEYOR FOR SUPPORTING AND MOVING UPRIGHT BOTTLES. AN ENDLESS CHAIN HAS UPPER AND LOWER REACHES ABOVE AND INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO SAID CONVEYOR. A CAP MAGAZINE IS LOCATED NEAR THE UPPER END OF THE LOWER REACH. JAWS   ARE MOUNTED AT INTERVALS ALONG THE CHAIN AND ARE CAUSED TO ENGAGE ONE CAP AND PLACE IT UPON A BOTTLE AS THE BOTTLES ARE MOVED CONTINUOUSLY BY THE CONVEYOR.

DEC. 14, 1971 L ."H, JONES 3,625,658

BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 27, 1969 4 Shoots-Shut l far/m41' BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 27, 1969 4 Shoots-Shut z Dec. 14, 1971 LH, JNES 3,626,658

BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 27, 1969 4 Shoots-Sheet 5 DQ Nk MZ, fw @W DBC. 14, 1971 L, H JONES BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHINE 4 Shoots-Shut d.

Filed Aug. 27, 1969 Unitedl States Patent O 3,626,658 BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHINE Leon H. Jones, Versailles, France,'assignor to Socit a responsabilite limitee dite: Congex, Versailles, France Filed Aug. 27, 1969, Ser. No. 853,436 Y Claims priority, application France, Nov. 8, 1968, 173,072 Int. Cl. B65b 7/28 U.S. Cl. 53-67 10 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A bottle-capping machine having a horizontal conveyor for supporting and moving upright bottles. An endless chain has upper and lower reaches above and inclined with respect to said conveyor. A cap magazine is located near the upper end of the lower reach. Jaws are mounted at intervals along the chain and are caused to engage one cap and place it upon a bottle as the bottles are moved continuously by the conveyor.

This invention concerns machines designed for placing the covering caps on bottles, that is, very thin caps of nonelastic metal designed to cover the upper part of the neck of the bottles, and to seal them all in the course of their preparation.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a machine which is capable of assuring the fixing of the caps on the necks of the bottles by elementary, continuous movements permitting the achievement of a speed of production greater than that of existing machines.

For this purpose, the machine according to the invention comprises, in addition to means for continuously -moving the bottles in an upright position, sets of jaws likewise carried along continuously and synchronously with the means of moving the bottles, guides inclined toward the base and toward the front by reference to the direction of movement of the bottles, a magazine of empty caps along the path of said jaws, means to tighten each jaw for the engagementof a cap, at the moment of its passage from the outlet of the magazine, means for temporarily gripping the cap while't descends to a point near a neck of a bottle, means for opening the jaws substantially at the lowest point of the guides, means for maintaining the jaws open, and means to guide and effect the return of the jaws to the highest point of the guides.

According to another important characteristic of the invention, the cap magazine comprises a hopper for the reception of a stack of caps disposed in an extension, toward the top, of the inclined guides for the jaws or grippers, while pivot means are provided and means for causing each closed gripper to pivoty successively at an angle such that it holds a cap in vertical position ready to be engaged on the neck of a bottle and to pivot afterward the open gripper at such an angle that it can be presented again to the discharge end of said hopper.

Other characteristics of the invention will become evident from a reading of the following description and an examination of the attached drawings, which show, by way of example, only, an embodiment of a machine according to the invention for positioning caps on bottles.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a partial schematic and partial elevational view of the machine;

FIG. 2 shows a principal fragment of the machine, ap-

3,626,658 Patented Dec. 14, 1971 proximately as appearing from the line II-II in FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, sectional View substantially taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectional views respectively taken along the lines IV-IV and V-V in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of one of the gripper supporting carriages (without its gripper);

FIG. 8 is a top view of the same carriage with its gripper; and

FIG. 9 is an end view of the lower end of the cap magazine observed in the direction of the arrow IX in FIG. 2.

The machine to engage covering caps and place them on bottles, of which the principle is illustrated in FIG. l, and of which the various parts will be described in more detail, comprises essentially a magazine 1 of caps 2 nested one within the other, several carriages, such as indicated at 3, supported at intervals by an endless chain 4 and each furnished with a gripper, designated in its assembly by the numeral 5, arranged to grasp cap 2. The gripper 5 grasps the first cap 2 presented in the magazine, causes it to pivot and move progressively into a vertical position, as indicated at 2', and at the same time that it is attached to the neck of a bottle 11, the bottle is moved with a continuous movement, synchronized to that of the chain 4, by a system represented schematically in the form of a horizontal roller belt 12. While the gripper 5 is moving to the lowest point in its course,"it is opened and releases the cap on the bottle, after which it is carried by the upper reach of the chain 4 and returned to its point of departure to obtain another cap to place on a bottle.

The various parts of the machine are mounted. on a frame designated in its entirety 4by the number 15 and having two essentially vertical side plates 16, 16A (FIG. 3).

The cap magazine 1 is comprised of an inclined tube at a certain angle relative to the horizontal, for example in the order of 45 degrees as shown. This tube is afiixed to the frame 15 by any appropriate means, for example by two collars 2.1, 22 (FIG. 2) integral with a piece 23 af'lixed on a transverse shaft 24 which connects the two side plates 16, 16A. The whole stacks of caps 2 is retained in the tube magazine 1 by a finger 26 (see also FIG. 9) fixed to a rocker 27 mounted pivotally on the transverse shaft 24 and ysubject to the action of two springs 28, 28A which urge the rocker 27 upwardly kvin FIG. 2. An end of springs 28, 28A is hooked to a shaft 31 integral with said rocker and the other end is connected to angle braces 32, 32A fixed, respectively, to two side plates 16, 16A. The movement of the rocker '127, and consequently that of the return linger 26, is limited toward the top by an abutment comprised of a bolt f35 fixed to the yrocker arm 27 and which passes mova-'bly through an opening in a transverse piece 36 integral with the frame of the machine, the extremity of this bolt being furnished with a nut stop 37 and a lock nut 38.

At the moment when a gripper 5 engages the cap which is found in the bottom of the magazine 1, the rocker arm 27 is positioned toward the bottom so as to disengage the return finger 26, by means which will be described hereinafter. During this time, in order that the entire assembly of the stack of caps remains in place, the lower part of the stack of caps is engaged by a shoe 42 which is carried by a support 43 integral with thev rocker arm 3 27. This shoe 42 is located in a groove 44 provided at the lower end of this magazine tube 1.

Practically all of the assembly of the machine is symmetrical by reference to its vertical plane midway between the sides thereof corresponding substantially to a cutting line II-II indicated in FIG. 3. It is thus only necessary to describe certain details once, it being intended that the symmetrical pieces are designated by the same reference numerals with the suix A added thereto.

Thus, the gripper designated in its assembly by in FIG. 1 is composed of two jaws 51, 51A (FIG. 3). The jaw 51 is composed of a flat piece of which one can see the thickness in FIG. 8; its engaging end face is in the form of an arc 52 of a circle of which the radius of curvature corresponds to the exterior diameter of the cap 2 in the vicinity of its base, for that one is gripped at its side which is relatively solid. The jaw 51 thus forms a type of fork which is carried, in a conventional manner, by a shaft constituted by an axle 55. In this manner, the jaw 51 is furnished with a cylindrical pin 56 engaged in an axial opening 57 coaxial with the axle 55 and rigidly held therein by means of a set screw 58.

One is thus able to regulate with precision the actual position of the jaw 51 with respect to the axle 55, which thus permits one to determine the tightening of the grippers on the cap 2 so that this latter is able to grip firmly without being damaging, The jaw 51 is located in a substantially transverse slot in the extreme end of the axle 55, as indicated at 59 (FIGS. 3 and 8), to insure a positive angular positioning of the jaw on its axis.

The axle 55 rotates, by means of sleeve bearings 62, 63 in the one of the two projections 64, 64A of the corresponding carriage designated in its assembly by 3. This carriage is united, by angles 66, 67 66A and 67A, to two chains 4 and 4A which correspond to the single chain 4 represented schematically in the FIG. l. The chain 4 passes on a toothed wheel 71 rotatably mounted, by means of a ball bearing 72 or the like, on a transverse axle 73 of which the two supported and threaded extremities are fixed in side plates 16 and 16A by nuts 74 and 74A, respectively.

The carriage 3, shown in FIG. 7 and with its grippers 5 in FIG. 8, has at its two extremities two rollers 76 and 76A, respectively, and in its central part two other rollers 77 and 77A. The two rollers 76 and 76A have their axles parallel to the axle of sprockets 71 and 71A and are situated in the midway plane MM of the carriage. The geometric axes of the two rollers 77, 77A are also situated in the said plane but have their axes perpendicular to the axis of the two rollers 76, 76A. The central part of the carriage 3 is furnished with two other rollers 79, 79A of which the axes are parallel to those of the rollers 76 and 76A, but they are placed on opposite sides of the plane MM. The two outermost rollers 76 and 76A roll against the sides of grooves 81, 81A formed in the lateral internal face of xed lateral guides 82, 82A, which guides have one extremity fixed on the transverse shaft 73 and the other extremity xed on a corresponding transverse shaft 83 (-FIG. 2). The two rollers 77, 77A roll, respectively, against the two lateral faces of a xed central guide 85 and iinally the two rollers 79, 79A roll against the sides of grooves 86, 86A formed in the two lateral faces, respectively, of the guide 85. The three pairs of rollers position with precision the carriage 3 in three perpendicular directions in space, the rollers 79 and 79A, particularly preventing rocking of the carriage around the geometrical axis of the two rollers 76, 76A.

Since the two rollers 79, 79A are not in the longitudinal midway plane MM of the carriage, the highest parts and the lowest parts of the two grooves 86, 86A ought to be conformed in correspondence, one is able to see at 88 and 89 in the FIG. 2.

Each gripper, such as that 5, as comprised by the two jaws 51 and 51A, must operate as one part during the 4 opening and closing movements and during the pivotal movement.

The closing movement of the jaw 51, for example, is effected by a roller 91 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 8) which engages a ramp 92 (FIGS. 2 and 4) carried by a plate 93 fixed, in a conventional manner, by screws 94, 95 in the side plate 16.

The opening movement of the jaw 51 is effected by two rollers 101, 102 carried by the side plate 16 (FIG. 2) and by which the axes are parallel to said side plate; these rollers cooperating with a ramp 103 (FIG. 5) integral with the exterior extremity of the axle 55 and extending to each side thereof.

The pivotal movement of the jaw 51 is effected by the action of the roller 107 (FIGS. 3 and 8) shown, in an eccentric manner, on the exterior extremity of the axle 55 and which becomes engaged, successively, in a cam groove 108 (FIG. 2) during the downward movement of the grippers toward the bottle and in another cam groove 109 (FIGS. 2 and 3) during the return or upward movement of the grippers. The two cam grooves 108 and 109 are substantially identical and are formed in the internal faces of two side plates 111 and 112 fixed against the internal face of the side plate 16.

Since the gripper is closed during the downward movement, the plate 111 is thicker than the plate 112, as the gripper is open when it passes plate 112.

The jaw 51 must be appropriately positioned both axially and angularly at all times. For this purpose a releasable locking or detent system is provided by a ball 114 (FIG. 3) lodged in an opening 115 formed in the carriage 3 and pushed by a spring 113 into a recess of special form which comprises, for one of the two extreme angular positions of the jaw 51, two single openings 116, 117 practically in the same radial plane in the axle 55. These two openings are joined by a small longitudinal groove 118. In the other extreme angular position of the jaw 51 and of the axle 55, there is provided two individual openings similarly connected by an analogous longitudinal groove. Furthermore, the single opening 116, for example, is joined to a single opening 119 (FIG. 6), both corresponding to the closed position of the grippers, by a circumferential groove 121 which permits the ball 117 to continue to maintain the jaw axially during its pivotal movement. There is provided a corresponding circumferential groove for the other axial position of the jaw. Otherwise stated, this system provides yieldable locking for each of the four (two angular and two axial) positions of the jaw 51, while maintaining its angular orientation when the jaw moves axially and maintaining its axial position when the jaw moves angularly. The spring 113 applies a pressure against a plug held in the end of the opening 115.

The movements of the rocker 27 (FIGS. 2 and 9) to assure the disengagement of the restraining linger 26 from the caps 2 and the application of the shoe 42 against the lower part of the stack of caps are assured by two rollers 121, 121A mounted on lever 27 and pushed back, respectively, by two ramps 122, 122A (see also FIG. 3) formed on a section of the carriage 3 opposite to that by which the carriage is affixed against the two chains 4, 4A.

FIG. l illustrates schematically the moving chain and the means for controlling the movements of the machine. A reduction motor 126, fixed to the frame 15 of the machine, drives the shaft 83 by means of a transmission which includes a sprocket 127 integral with the shaft 128 of the reduced motor output, a chain 129 which passes on the sprocket 127 and around another sprocket 121 fixed on the shaft 83. On shaft 83 are fixed two sprockets, such as 133, on which passes the two chains 4 and 4A.

FIG. l also schematically illustrates means for driving the bottle-carrying belt 12 from the same motor 126. A roller 136 drives the belt 12, the roller 136 being fixed on a shaft 137 on which is affixed a gear 138 in gear with another gear 139 aliixed on a shaft 141 on which is aixed also a sprocket 142 in mesh with the chain 129. The ratio of the diameters of the different sprockets of these transmissions and of the roller 136 have been determined in such a way that the component of horizontal speed of the grippers carried by the carriage driven by the endless chain 4 must specically be equal to the speed of displacement of the horizontal bottle-carrying belt 12 and, moreover, the adjustment of the transmission is such that each gripper 5 passes exactly above the one bottle for applying thereto a cap. Moreover, the representation of the driving of the belt 12 by a tangent roller 136 is purely theoretical, for it is necessary, in reality, that these means of driving should provide absolutely no sliding, and thus a positive driving is preferably provided.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

It is assumed that the bottles 11 are disposed, by a distributor system of any well-known type, on the transport belt 12 on which they are positioned with precision by the positioning elements indicated schematically at 145, the removal of two bottles corresponding to the horizontal projection of the removal of two gripper-carrying carriages successively on the inclined chain 4.

The magazine 1 is supplied with caps 2 stacked one within the other, the bottom or closed end turned toward the base of the machine.

All of the components of the machine are regulated in such a fashion that each time that a carriage 3 turns around the upper shaft 73 and presents itself to the lower end of the outlet of the magazine of caps 1, the jaw 5 which it carries is closed under the action of the lateral ramps 92 (FIGS. 2 and 4) pushing back the rollers 91, 91A, at the precise moment when the jaws 51, 51A of the gripper are presented very near the bottom of the rst caps and in a plane parallel to said base. The carriage 3 continues its movement toward the base and the grippers, maintained in gripping position by the detent balls 114, 114A, carries with it the cap 2. The two rollers 107, 107A mounted eccentrically on the extremities of two axles 55, 55A, of the two jaws are engaged in the corresponding cam grooves, such as 108, of which the form is determined in a manner to cause a pivotal movement of the gripper on its axle in the direction of the arrow f1 (FIG. l) in such a fashion that the cap 2 that it carries is inverted and presents its opening toward the base of the machine. While the rollers 107, 107A leave the cam groove in which they are engaged, the gripper is maintained releasably locked, by the balls 114, 114A, in this vertical orientation while maintaining a grip on the cap. As the carriage advances toward the botle 11 which is presented under it, the cap cornes to cover the next of the said bottles as indicated at 2'; and as soon as the carriage attains substantially the bottom point of its course, the grippers are opened under the effect of the action of the rollers 101 and 102 (FIG. 2) against the ramps 103 and 103A (FIGS. 3 and 8). The bottle thus carries the cap with it, while the open gripper returns upwardly around the lower shaft 83 and returns toward the top, carried by the upper reach of the chain 4. In the course of this return movement, the rollers 107, 107A (FIGS. 3 and 8) are engaged in the cam grooves 109, 109A (FIGS. 2 and 3) and restore the gripper 5 into its initial orientation for the engagement of another cap. The gripper 5 continues to be releasably locked in its open position up to the moment of the engagement of another cap and the cycle can be repeated.

Lengthwise of the chain 4 are distributed several carriages 3, each equipped with a gripper 5, in such a manner that each of these grippers can grip, in its turn, a cap and place it on the neck of a bottle.

Assuming that the grippers are displaced in a continuous manner, on a closed path, the machine can obtain a very superior production in comparison to that of known machines in which the grippers are actuated with alternating movements to grip a cap and place it on a bottle which passes in their range of action. The caps thus disposed on the bottles are then subjected to a crimping and folding action in a manner of any ytpe appropriately known and not having any part of the present invention.

Iti s understood the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment which has been described and presented for purposes of example; it being possible to provide a number of modications without departing from the substance of the invention.

In particular, the machine according to the invention can contain in laddition a means of security designed to prevent the grasping of caps 2 by the grippers 5 when there are no bottles 11 on the transporting belt 12. This means can be provided by an electromagnet 151 which retains the rocker arm 27 in the lowered position while it is excited, and for which the functioning is controlled by two small circuit breakers 152 and 153, mounted in series, of which the one 152 is actuated by the rocker arm 27, while the other 153 is disposed in the path of the necks of the bottles 11 and thus constitutes a detector of the presence of the necks. When the electromagnet 151 is excited, it stops the descent of the caps 2 in the magazine 1. This prevents the wasting of caps.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are dened as follows:

1. A machine for applying caps to bottles, comprising means for continuously moving upright bottles along a Substantially horizontal path; gripper means for engaging a cap and for applying same to the neck of a bottle, the gripper means being movable between open and closed positions; drive means connected to said gripper means for continuously driving said gripper means along an inclined endless path and in synchronization with the means for moving the bottles; inclined guide means extending downwardly along said inclined endless path and forwardly with reference to the direction of movement of the bottles for guiding the movement of the gripper means; a magazine for discharging caps along the inclined path of movement of said gripper means; feed control means coacting with said magazine for preventing feeding of caps therefrom to said gripper means in the absence of a bottle; means for causing the gripper means to move to the closed position to engage a cap at the moment of its passing adjacent the discharge opening of the magazine; means for temporarily maintaining gripping of the cap until the gripper means moves downwardly near a neck of a bottle; means for opening the gripper means substantially adjacent the lowermost point of the guide means; and means for releasably maintaining the gripper means in the open position.

2. A machine for applying caps to bottles, comprising means for continuously moving upright bottles along a substantially horizontal path; gripper means for engaging a cap and for applying same to the neck of a bottle, the gripper means being movable between open and closed positions; drive means connected to said gripper means for continuously driving said gripper means along an inclined endless path and in synchronization with the means for moving the bottles; inclined guide means extending downwardly along said inclined endless path and forwardly with reference to the direction of movement of the bottles for guiding the movement of the gripper means; said l gripper means including two coacting jaws movable with respect to each other, the jaws being slideably mounted on the same axis in the two branches of a U- shaped carriage which slides in said guide means; a magazine for discharging caps along the inclined path of movement of said gripper means; means for causing the gripper means to move to the closed position to engage a vcap at the moment of its passing adjacent the discharge opening of the magazine; means for temporarily maintaining gripping of the cap until the gripper means moves downwardly near a neck of a bottle; and means for opening the gripper means substantially adjacent the lowermost point of the guide means; means for releasably maintaining the gripper means in the open position; the means for closing and opening said gripper means including a system of rollers and cam ramps, one of the two elements constituted by each roller and the cam ramp with which it cooperates being carried by the carriage and the other by a part fixed to the machine frame.

3. A machine for applying caps to bottles, comprising means for continuously moving upright bottles along a substantially horizontal path; gripper means for engaging a cap and for applying same to the neck of a bottle, the gripper means being movable between open and closed positions; drive means connected to said gripper means for continuously driving said gripper means along an inclined endless path and in synchronization with the means for moving the bottles; inclined guide means extending downwardly along said inclined endless path and forwardly with reference to the direction of movement of the bottles for guiding the movement of the gripper means; a magazine for discharging caps along the inclined path of movement of said gripper means, said magazine comprising a hopper for receiving a stack of caps, said hopper being disposed so that the discharge end thereof opens toward the top of the inclined guide means; means for causing the gripper means to move to the closed position to engage a cap at the moment of its passing adjacent the discharge opening of the magazine; means for temporarily maintaining gripping of the cap until the gripper means moves downwardly near a neck of a bottle; means for opening the gripper means substantially adjacent the lowermost point of the guide means; means for releasably maintaining the gripper means in the open position; and pivot means coacting with said gripper means when in the closed position for causing said gripper means to pivot through an angle such that the cap engaged thereby opens downwardly so as to be engaged on a neck of a bottle, said pivot means causing said gripper means to pivotally return to its original position after releasing the cap, said pivot means including rollers carried on the gripper means in an eccentric manner and cooperating with fixed cam ramps.

4. A machine for applying caps to bottles, comprising means for continuousy moving upright bottles along a substantially horizontal path; gripper means for engaging a cap and for applying same to the neck of a bottle, the gripper means being movable between open and closed positions; drive means connected to said gripper means for continuously driving said gripper means along an inclined endless path and in synchronization with the means for moving the bottles, said drive means including a flexible endless drive member; said gripper means including a support member connected to said endless drive member for movement therewith and a pair of opposed gripping members movably mounted on said support member, said gripping members being movable toward and away from one another for permitting a cap to be positioned between and gripped by said gripping members; inclined guide means extending downwardly along said inclined endless path and forwardly with reference to the direction of movement of the bottles for guiding the movement of the gripper means; a magazine for discharging caps along the inclined path of movement of said gripper means; means for causing the gripper means to move to the closed position to engage a cap at the moment of its passing adjacent the discharge opening of the magazine; means for temporarily maintaining gripping of the cap until the gripper means moves downwardly near a neck of a bottle; means for opening the gripper means substantially adjacent the lowermost point of the guide means; and means for releasably maintaining the gripper means in the open position.

5. A machine for applying caps to bottles, comprising means for continuously moving upright bottles along a substantially horizontal path; gripper means for engaging a cap and for applying same to the neck of a bottle, the gripper means being movable between open and closed positions; drive means connected to said gripper means for continuously driving said gripper means along an inclined endless path and in synchronization with the means for moving the bottles, said drive means including rotatable sprocket means disposed adjacent the upper and lower extremities of said inclined drive means and a flexible endless drive member mounted on and extending between said upper and lower sprocket means; said gripper means including a plurality of substantially identiacl gripping units connected to said endless drive member at longitudinally spaced locations therealong, each of said gripping units including a carriage connected to the endless drive member and means mounted on each of said carriage for permitting engagement with a cap; inclined guide means extending downwardly along said inclined endless path and forwardly with reference to the direction of movement of the bottles for guiding the movement of the gripper means; a magazine for discharging caps along the inclined path of movement of said gripper means; for causing the gripper means to move to the closed position to engage a cap at the moment of its passing adjacent the discharge opening of the magazine; means for temporarily maintaining gripping of the cap until the gripper means moves downwardly near a neck of a bottle; means for opening the gripper means substantially adjacent the lowermost point of the guide means; and means for releasably maintaining the gripper means in the open position.

6. A machine according to claim 2, in which the outlet of the magazine is furnished with a movable finger for temporarily retarding a stack of caps disposed in the said magazine, the said nger being resiliently urged toward its active position and diverted from said active position by a system of rollers and ramps, the one of two elements constituted by each roller and the ramp with which it cooperates being carried by the gripper-carrying carriage, and the other element being connected to said movable finger.

7. A machine according to claim 6, further including a shoe integral with the movable finger for applying pressure against the lower part of the stack of caps when the iinger is removed from its active position.

8. A machine according to claim 5, is which each carriage has at its extremities two rollers rolling respectively against the sides of two endless grooves formed in the lateral faces of two lateral guides, each carriage further having a central part with two rollers rolling respectively against the lateral faces of a central guide, and two further rollers mounted on the carriage and rolling 1espectively against the sides of two endless grooves formed in the two lateral faces of said central guide.

9. A machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the feed control means comprises an electromagnet, controlled by a detector which senses the presence of the next bottles and which, when it senses no bottles, prevents the stack of caps from descending in the magazine.

10. A machine according to claim 4, wherein said gripping members are mounted for movement toward and away from one another in a direction substantially transverse to the direction of movement of said endless drive member, and pivot means coacting with said gripper means when said gripper means is in said closed position for causing swinging movement of said gripping members from a first location wherein the cap gripped by the gripping members opens substantially upwardly to a second location wherein the cap opens substantially downwardly, the swinging movement of said gripping elements between said first and second locations being substantially trans- 'verse to the direction of motion of said gripping members when moving between said open and closed positions.

(References on following page) References Cited 3,511,025 5/ 1070 Newport 53-367 X UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,392,505 7/ 1968 Luther 53-307 12/1968 Schmitt 53 307 X THERON E. CONDON, Pramiry Examiner 3/1968 Satchwell et al. 53-307 5 H. M. CULVER, Assistant Examiner 11/1966 Amberg et al 53-367 X 1/1969 Beer 53-367 X U-S' C1' X'R' 

